R-2 board candidates speak at forum

Maryville has great public schools, but they could be better. Significant challenges lie ahead, but they can be met.

Tony Brown

Maryville has great public schools, but they could be better. Significant challenges lie ahead, but they can be met.

That was the general theme sounded Tuesday during a sparsely attended forum at City Hall featuring four candidates seeking to fill two open seats on the Maryville R-2 School District Board of Education.

Candidates for Maryville City Council were invited to participate as well, but neither Mayor Glenn Jonagan nor Council Member Renee Riedel face opposition. Jonagan attended the forum and spoke briefly about what he sees as the council's accomplishments over his inaugural three-year term.

He cited completion of a new comprehensive growth and development plan; the hiring of City Manager Greg McDanel, whose work over the past year Jonagan hailed as "extraordinary"; and the initiation of several million dollars' worth of capital projects that include rebuilding portions of Munn and Depot streets and a new jet fuel station at the Northwest Missouri Regional Airport.

On tap for the city, Jonagan said, is a privately backed hotel development at Mozingo Lake, construction of a new $14 million sewage treatment plant and proposed creation of a landscaped, pedestrian-friendly corridor along Fourth Street between downtown and Northwest Missouri State University.

Riedel, who was out of town Tuesday, was appointed to the council following the resignation of Chad Jackson last May. She is seeking her first full term and, like Jonagan, is virtually certain of election.

Sims, a 17-year Missouri State Highway Patrol veteran, is running for a third three-year stint on the board and, if elected, will be its second longest-serving member after local businessman Roger Baker.

Hageman operates a photography studio on the courthouse square and has a background in teaching. Reuter is also a state trooper, having formerly served as a Maryville police officer and building code inspector. Sparks owns a local insurance agency. All four candidates have children attending R-2 schools.

None of the four candidates voiced major differences with current district policy, but each said their backgrounds would provide them with a unique perspective if elected.

Sims emphasized his experience as an incumbent, while Hageman said her time in the classroom and perspective as a mother gave her insight into what teachers need in order to provide top-level instruction. Sparks said his business experience would help keep the district on sound financial footing, and Reuter promoted the people skills he's acquired as a law enforcement officer as well as his involvement in student-based anti-drug and safety programs.

In response to questions from the small audience, all of the candidates said they supported the district's random drug testing policy. Each also agreed the projected loss of $400,000 in annual tax revenues following the announced closing of the Energizer battery plant later this year presents the district with a serious fiscal challenge.

Sims said he believes the district will be able to absorb the hit given its sound financial reserves, which got a boost last year after the board refinanced existing debt in a move that saved about $1 million.

Despite fiscal pressures, Sims said the board has been able to raise base teacher pay and keep salaries competitive, which he claimed has significantly increased both the number and experience level of applicants.

Sparks said R-2 may have to wait a while before moving ahead with plans to build a performing arts center while concentrating on what he described as core facilities needs, such as a larger middle school cafeteria.

Speaking from the audience, Superintendent Larry Linthacum said the district has about $600,000 on hand earmarked for the proposed center, but "hit the pause button" on the project after Energizer announced it was closing it's doors.

The ability to recruit and retain quality teachers is a priority for Hageman, who said that while salary is important, teachers also need the equipment, facilities and support required to ensure student success.

"We've got to provide the things that make our teachers better, that allow them to do a better job for our students," she said.

Reuter said building solid partnerships between the district and community was an essential component of surviving a period of lean budgets, adding that support for teachers by administrators, parents and community members is vital.

"I believe teachers are somewhat underpaid for the job they do, and everything they have they've earned," he said. "But I think there is more to it than money. It's about being a community."